Mountain residents who have been around long enough may remember
the Skiway Tram that ran from Government Camp to Timberline Lodge back in the 1950s. And in a few
years, it's possible a similar ride will be available, with Timberline eyeing a
gondola to connect the lodge and Summit Pass, as outlined in the Master
Development Plan (MDP) released in late March.

“It’s going to be great for a wide variety of customers,” said John Burton,
Timberline’s Director of Marketing and Public Relations, noting that skiers,
sightseers, hikers and more would be able to use the gondola throughout the
year, all while removing traffic and congestion from Timberline Road and Hwy.
26.

The MDP, a 134-page document that can be found on Timberline’s website,
www.timberlinelodge.com, offers a 10-year plan and includes bevy of
conceptual ideas for the direction of future development and improvements,
including upgrades to the Summit Pass area. The document is required as part
of the special use permit Timberline and Summit work under, and Burton
noted that after Timberline Lodge operator R.L.K. and Company took over
operations of Summit in 2018, the new MDP process began.

Burton noted that the process to develop the new plan included stakeholder
and community feedback (including various partners such as Clackamas
County and the Government Camp Community Planning Organization), while
taking a broader view of the new combined recreation area and an eye toward
sustainable development.

“The last thing Timberline wants is to build something that delivers more
capacity than we can handle,” Burton said, adding that the Timberline special
use permit is the longest held permit in the country. “We need to keep
building and maintaining our facilities.”

A press release on the MDP noted that it was reviewed and accepted by the
U.S. Forest Service.

“While it does not approve any of the concepts held within, it recognizes that
they are consistent with the Forest Plan,” Jeff Kohnstamm, R.L.K. and
Company President and Area Operator, said in the release.

The approval doesn’t mean that visitors will get to enjoy a gondola ride from
Government Camp to Timberline this year (or even in the near future).
Burton noted that other projects in the MDP will likely be tackled first,
including a new facilities shop that could include space for employee locker
rooms and ski patrol, along with increased snow making for Timberline.

“Those would be the first proposals from the Master Development Plan, if I
had to guess today,” he said. “Things will happen at Timberline before things
happen at Summit. There will be lots of things going on in addition to moving
forward with this gondola project.”

Burton added that when Kohnstamm is ready to move ahead, they will go
back to the plan and then make a formal proposal for the gondola project,
which could transport up to 2,000 people per hour.

The formal proposal would then kick off the National Environmental Policy Act
work, which could take up to three years to complete.

Burton estimated that the timeline for the gondola to be up and running might
be the 2028-29 season, adding it took seven years for Timberline to get its
bike park done. He also noted that Timberline will have to coordinate with
area partners on the timing due to other projects, including a possible move
of the rest area at the east end of Government Camp.

“We’ll talk to everyone and we’ll get through it,” Burton said.